Sterling brown

1. Sterling brown And the Harlem Renaissance

2. The Dean, Himself • Born: May 1, 1901 in Washington, D.C. • Died: January 13, 1989 • Graduated valedictorian from Dunbar High School in 1918 and enrolled to Williams College where he received his bachelor’s degree and master’s from Harvard • Influenced heavily by jazz music, the blues, work songs, spirituals, as well as other black poets of the time

3. Notable Works • Southern Road (1932) • The Collected Poems of Sterling Brown (1980) • The Last Ride of Wild Bill and Eleven Narrative Poems (1975) • Negro Poetry and Drama (1937) • Outline for the Study of Poetry of American Negroes (1931) • The Negro in American Fiction (1937)

4. His Contributions to the Renaissance • Sterling was famous for the blunt nature of his poetry and unsentimental portrayals of black people and their experiences (specifically in the South)

5. 3Ts for “Frankie and Johnny” • Tone: The tone of this poem is extremely dark, not only because Frankie masochistic tendencies, but because she “yowled hilariously” at the sight of her “love”, Johnny, being lynched most likely by her “pappy” and others. • Technique: The technique is quite simple and hard to miss. There is the common ABAB rhyme scheme which gives this saddening poem the ironic effect of being song-like. There is enjambment which also adds to the flow of the poem, making it more like a children’s song. • Theme(s): Hatred, irony, betrayal, racism, bigotry

6. 3Ts for “Remembering Nat Turner” • Tone: This poem is quite somber and is about a man who no one knows much about. There is quite a bit of mystery as to what kind of man Nat Turner was. To some, he was looking for freedom, and others, he was a murderer. • Technique: There is no rhyme scheme in this poem; it could almost be mistaken for prose. However, the poem is split up into stanzas in which sentences continue over the line breaks (enjambment). There is irony in the old white woman’s quote, “Things is all right, naow, ain’t no trouble with the n*****s. Why they make this big to-do over Nat”. The fact of the matter is that nothing was alright between black and whites, especially in the south. • Theme: Reminiscence, heroism, ambiguity

7. Works Cited • "Sterling A. Brown." Poets.org. Academy of American Poets, n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. <http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/203>. • http://www.biography.com/imported/images/Biography/Images/Profiles/B/Sterling-Brown-38153-1-402.jpg • Greer, Doris. "Sterling Allen Brown Writer, Folklorist, Educator May 1, 1901 - January 13, 1989." Sterling Allen Brown. N.p., 20 June 2003. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. <http://dclibrarylabs.org/blkren/bios/brownsa.html>.